Well done my good servant!

Luke 19:11-27

Key Verse 19:17

1. Compare what people expected concerning God’s kingdom in verse 11 and what Jesus said about it in verse 12. What do you think Jesus meant by: a) a man of noble birth;  b) [he] went to a distant country; c) to have himself appointed king; and d) to return? What is the difference between the time at which people expected God’s kingdom to come and the time Jesus said it would come? 

2. Read verse 13. What does mina (or simply ‘money’) stand for? (1Pe 4:10) Who are the “ten servants”? What does “Put this money to work” mean? 

3. Think about “his subjects” described in verse 14.  Why wouldn’t they not want the man to be a king? Were they wise in not so wanting? (15,27)

4. Read verses 16-17. The secret of his success was to be “trustworthy in a very small matter.” What does it mean to be “trustworthy in a very small matter?” The master said, “Take charge of ten cities.” Apparently this new responsibility is related to the ten minas he earned. What does this indicate about the way the newly appointed king desires to run his kingdom business?

5. Compare the second servant in verses 18-19 with the first servant in verses 16-17. Apparently the capital was the same (that is one mina) and yet the result was different. Why? 

6. Read verses 20-23. Verse 21 explains why the man laid away the mina. What does his words indicate about his relationship with  his master? Was he right in describing his master as a “hard” man? What about his accusation saying, “You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow”? 

7. Read verses 24-26. What does verse 26 indicate about the master’s real intention in asking his servants to put the money to work?

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